Tourists be warned: there is an infestation of Hollywood vermin down at London's famous Leicester Square, and nobody seems prepared to do anything about it. Quite the opposite. The Fantastic Mr Fox, they're calling this, and they've even laid on a premiere. Here is director Wes Anderson with Felicity Dahl, widow of Roald; smiling, smiling while the bins are rifledPhotograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/APEveryone, it seems, has gathered to celebrate the fox, not to kill it. Tottering up the red carpet come Sophie (granddaughter of Roald) Dahl and her mate, Jamie CullumPhotograph: Daniel Deme/EPAAnd look! There's the fox! George Clooney (who provides the voice of Mr Fox) may look all smart in his tux, but he's not averse to biting a child or marking his territory. And yet here he is, wandering about, bold as brass. This, we're guessing, is what comes of the hunting banPhotograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/APOver there! Another fox! Jason Schwartzman co-stars as Mr Fox's son. He has probably just left his scent on that lamppostPhotograph: Ian Gavan/Getty ImagesWill no one step in to stamp out this outbreak? Cindy Crawford? She's too busy posing for the papsPhotograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/APJonathan Ross? Not a hope. Why, his wife has even dyed her hair to look like a foxPhotograph: Samir Hussein/Getty ImagesOnly poor, frightened John Hurt makes an attempt to raise the alarm, timidly pointing out the problem and wondering (oh so vaguely) whether something ought not to be donePhotograph: Daniel Deme/EPAAnd still the guests keep arriving. Jarvis Cocker, for instance, was so enamoured of the fox that he wrote and recorded a song in its honourPhotograph: Ian Gavan/Getty Images... while Thandie Newton likes these pests so much that she has reputedly brought along a pair of children to feed to themPhotograph: Yui Mok/PAIn the meantime Ben Kingsley appears to have concluded that a full-on vermin infestation provides a great opportunity to meet women. Nice work, Sir BenPhotograph: Dave Hogan/Getty ImagesAnd so the wild cavalcade dips from the scary to the surreal and back again. On to the carpet steps Mr Bill Murray who, in addition to voicing the role of Badger, also clearly has a nice sideline going as a children's entertainerPhotograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesJust who is to blame for all of this? Who, exactly, made the decision to let foxes like this one (exactly like this one) run amok through Leicester Square, presumably biting women at will?Photograph: Daniel Deme/EPAHere, at last, is the possible culprit. It is Sandra Hebron, the artistic director of the London film festival and the ringleader of this whole mangy circus. What can she possibly have planned for next year? Rats?Photograph: Yui Mok/PASo there we have it. The world premiere of Fantastic Mr Fox. A time when vermin roamed free and even the protesters came out in their favour. Where, pray tell, were Boggis, Bunce and Bean when we needed them?Photograph: Dave Hogan/Getty Images
